nadia's Reviews (587)

I've never been so compelled to read a whole book out loud while reading it as I was with this one. I loved that nearly all of The Poet X was in (super accessible) verse, as we follow our young protagonist, who discovers slam poetry, and uses it to understand more about herself, her relationships, and the world around her.

If you're looking for an easier, fun, and yet moving and creative read, or if you love poetry, especially slam or performance poetry, this one is definitely for you!

I am just in awe with all of these women. I've always been fascinated by people who have such a strong desire to share the truth of countries besieged by war and conflict, that it overpowers any fear of death, and to do this job when the places you're working in are against your very existence as a woman. Just wow. 

This is heavy reading. There are strong currents of grief, loss, and regret running through it. Definitely one to be emotionally prepared for, but these women are some of the bravest people I've ever encountered and nothing can beat reading their own reflections on their incredible and varied careers.

I struggled to get into this at first — that might be because I kept on picking it up at the end of long days and I was tired and couldn't read for long before falling asleep —  but at some point I became hooked, and that kept up until parts of the third section. 

This is a real sad tale and I learnt a lot about a part of history I knew nothing about, which provided both an overview of the history of the Osage Indian community and how the FBI we know of today got its start.  I also really appreciated the pictures weaved in throughout the book as opposed to at the end or bunched together in the middle.

Only read this  book if you're ready to confront some of the darkest facets of human nature.

I just loved this. To think that I wasn't convinced by book 1 (until the last quarter or so) and have continued reading and couldn't put book 3 down. So far, each book has gotten better than the last, and I hope this remains true for The Story of the Lost Child. The characters and the portrayal of different relationships, especially the main one between Elena and Lila, is just so rich and multi-layered. I felt transported reading this book and Ann Goldstein's translation was just brilliant.

Another book I went into not knowing what it was about at all. And boy — I was not prepared to meet Emerence — what a mysterious, strange, complex character! I was immediately hooked and my level of intrigue kept up almost all of the way through. 

If you're into unconventional friendships, and in this case one between a younger woman, our protagonist, who hires an older woman to work for her, and slower-paced, character studies, then this book might be great for you.

For those looking to read more translated fiction, it's translated from Hungarian, and the book was, on the whole, very easy to lap up.  Although the story is slower-paced itself, this was often a real page-turner for me!

I'm really loving all of these quirky reads I'm discovering during my current translated fiction run and this one is no exception.

Janina Duszejko, our older woman protagonist, who loves animals and astrology and lives in a remote Polish village where grisly things start happening, was such a great narrator. The translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones was fantastic also — especially as translation is itself a key theme in this book. 

If you're looking for a dark, intriguing, unconventional thriller, pick this one up for sure!

Although this book focuses a lot on sadness, regret, and loss, it ultimately feels warm and comforting. You just want to visit the village of Maran and give a bunch of the residents a big ol' hug, help them with their chores, and then sit and listen to their stories long into the night.

This is translated from Russian and I thought the translation was incredibly smooth and the writing was beautiful. However, sometimes the book  felt like a random collection of little stories about the villagers' histories, which wasn't so bad, but I wanted something that had a little more flow through it. I did start to get a tiny bit confused about who was related to whom and how in this one.

Despite this, it's a delightful, hopeful book. If its blurb sounds remotely up your alley, definitely pick it up.

I listened to this on audio via @libro.fm's ALC programme. It was a decent story, with great narration, and though I was often intrigued while listening, I wasn't rushing to get back to it and I wasn't really invested in knowing what happened to the characters. Overall,  good writing from Rumaan Alam and I liked the way he explores a mysterious national event and its aftermath, especially when strangers are forced to band together.

Translated from Arabic (by the author's husband!), Woman at Point Zero is a short novel based on a real-life meeting between Nawal El Saadawi and a woman in prison for murdering a man and due to be executed imminently.

This was a small book that packed a powerful punch. Given the key themes were around the abuse of women at the hands of men, the book was often bleak and sad. The translation was smooth overall, and there was a lot of interesting imagery, especially around eyes.

Woman at Point Zero is in three sections, and after a really strong second section, I wish the last section gave me a little bit more. Just a little. It all wrapped up too quickly!

A more experimental book compared to what I've read lately! I certainly enjoyed exploring something different. I went into this not knowing what it was about at all and discovered lyrical prose (of what I call the accessible sort) and lots of vivid, sensuous imagery around sex, sexuality, the human body, and bodily fluids...! Not one for you if you are easily grossed out or need books that have a substantial plot, but an intriguing, atmospheric, quick read otherwise.